Masthead: Volume 25.1
Lists the editorial board, advisory board, and maintainers for the inaugural release (Volume 25.1) of the Amateur Research Association Transactions.
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About this Project
The Amateur Research Association (ARA) is an experimental publishing platform designed for independent researchers, citizen scientists, and industry professionals. Our mission is to provide a venue for high-quality, unaffiliated research that combines (almost, hopefully) the legitimacy of a formal journal with the accessibility of a preprint server.
This release was produced using an automated, open-source workflow. All submissions are typeset in LaTeX, managed via GitHub, and compiled into a cohesive volume. For more information, please see our foundational whitepaper included in this issue.
Table of Contents
Editorial: Launching the Amateur Research Association
An introduction to the inaugural issue of the Amateur Research Association,outlining the project's mission to provide a professional publishing venuefor independent researchers and presenting the foundational whitepaper.
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The Amateur Research Association: A Framework for Decentralized Scholarly Publishing
The established paradigms of scholarly communication present significant barriers to entry for a growing global community of independent researchers and citizen scientists. This whitepaper introduces the Amateur Research Association (ARA), a novel framework designed to address this gap by creating a professionally managed, open-source, and low-cost publishing platform. We propose a four-tiered strategic roadmap that begins with a minimal viable product focused on core automation and scales to a sustainable institution that actively fosters the careers of its members. The ARA’s methodology is rooted in a Git-native workflow that leverages GitHub Actions, LaTeX, and a curated release model to ensure transparency, reproducibility, and quality. Key innovations include the integration of essential scholarly infrastructure (e.g., Crossref DOIs, ORCID profiles), the creation of a fellowship program to provide direct support to researchers, and the implementation of a "Momentum Publishing System." This document details the project's founding team, market opportunity, go-to-market strategy, and competitive positioning, presenting a comprehensive blueprint for the project's implementation and long-term success.
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Call for Papers: Volume 26.1
The official call for papers for the next issue of the ARA journal, Volume 2026.1.The submission deadline is December 15, 2025.
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Errata: Volume 25.1
Errata for Volume 25.1. No corrections are noted for this inaugural issue.
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Colophon: Volume 25.1
A description of the production process for the ARA Transaction release, highlighting the open-source tools used, including LaTeX, GitHub Actions, and towncrier.
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